The SWAC Alumni Association will present its Lifetime Achievement
Award to Davey L. Whitney, Sam Jefferson and William J. “Billy’’ Nicks
(posthumously) at its fourth annual Legends Reception Dec.
12 at the Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham, Ala. The award is given
to individuals in recognition for their contributions to athletics
in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Whitney, former men’s basketball coach at Alcorn State University, compiled
a 567-357 career-record in 32 seasons, including five at Texas Southern. He led
Alcorn State to 12 national postseason tournament appearances, including five
trips to the NCAA tournament, two trips to the NIT and five NAIA appearances.
Whitney retired following the 2002-03 season.
Nicks, who was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football
Hall of Fame in 1999, compiled a 189-55-9 record at Prairie View and Morris Brown.
His teams at Prairie View won five national championships, eight SWAC championships
and were undefeated five times. He is the only college coach to win a national
championship in each decade of his career (the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s).
Nicks died in 1999 at age 94, shortly after his induction into the National
Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.
Jefferson was Jackson State’s first full-time sports information and held
that position for 29 years before retiring in 2002. He was named SWAC Sports
Information
Director of the Year and unprecedented eight times, including six consecutive
times from 1997-2002. He also served as president of the SWAC SIDs and Black
College Sports Information Directors Association (BCSIDA) in addition to serving
on the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors Association) Board of
Directors
and several committees within that organization.
The SWAC Alumni Association was founded four years ago. Its purpose is to support
the Southwestern Athletic Conference events, promote its legacy, and preserve
its athletic heritage. Former athletes in all sports from t all member institutions
are eligible for membership, as are head coaches, assistant coaches, athletic
trainers and athletic administrators, referees and employees of the conference
office.
For information about becoming a member, contact Roscoe Nance,
SWAC Alumni Association coordinator by phone at 800-872-3410,
extension 3722 or by e-mail
at scomobile@aol.com.
